Happy to be leaving hot and humid Bangkok, we hopped on our flight to Chiang Mai late that night. We landed, thankful to be exploring a new part of Thailand. As previously noted, we avoided a possible inconvenience by quickly booking a hotel on New Year's Eve (though the price came to $12 a night at a swankier hotel - significantly higher than the $3 (each) price tag we would later pay). We arrived in Old Town in Chiang Mai via taxi from the airport and listened to the bumping music, we felt the music shake our bones. We scurried past bags of rotting trash (which seemed to be the norm in Thailand), the occasional cat and dog, and took in the harsh scents of fried meats, rice, and noodles. Full from our snacks purchased from the airport 7-11, we scampered to our hotel, checked in, and flopped down on our hard (yet softer than most) Thai mattress. We were to be picked up by someone from Spicy Villa from a nearby hostel at noon the next day.

We slept in, stretched, and quickly headed downstairs to eat our free breakfast, provided by our hotel. Most "Western" breakfasts (let alone free breakfasts) in Thailand wouldn't fill up a ant's belly, though it appears this is due to the fact that Thais enjoy snacking on various treats (more often than not) throughout the day. Needless to say, our expectations were low to non-existent and we are never entirely sure what might appear after ordering. Though we hardly qualify as an overweight American, we like breakfast! Eating in general, really. However, this breakfast could be labeled as a light snack and we munched on toast, mega sweet orange juice, and a small bowl of muesli and yogurt.

After less than an hour of exploring, we found that our bellies were grumbling. We found ourselves standing in front of a restaurant named Mild. After a quick glance at the menu, we sat down within the blink of an eye and our eyes became glazed over with joy. A crocodile tear may have even slipped out. Fresh fruit boats, salads, curries, muesli, homemade yogurt, cookies, smoothies, fresh juice, real coffee, real butter, real honey...all things we were unable to find in Bangkok. Less than a week into the trip and we were cruxing. I would say we were craving Western food, but in reality, we were craving healthy food, which our usual meals (in the US) consist of. We walked up to the desk and paid for our feast. Food is usually quite inexpensive in Thailand and there is no need to tip. Because of this, a server isnt constantly checking in with you and unless you ask for the check, you usually use your own two legs and walk yourself up to the desk to pay.

With stuffed bellies (and takeaway lunch, homemade yogurt, and cookies), we wobbled back to our hotel, packed up, and made our way to the local market. We picked out fruit, veggies, and lots of snacks so that we would have something to munch on in the future and we waited to be picked up for our next adventure! With good food in such abundance here in Chiang Mai (after our experience in Bangkok), you would have thought we would be featured on the next food hoarders episode or that we may have been preparing for the next depression.

A huge 4x4 something or other approached minutes later and someone asked, in broken English, if I was Jessica. Whoa! Yes! He introduced himself as Houy and we hopped in the truck. Shortly after, we arrived at another house in Chiang Mai, unaware as to what was happening, as we weren't fully able to communicate. "You, in here". We walked in and minutes later, Samart called, asking us to help Houy print out some pages and to accompany him to the airport to pick up two guests.

Samart runs an amazing ecolodge called Spicy Villa. We found this opportunity on helpx.net and quickly snatched it up. You have the choice of working on the farm or teaching English in a village (or maybe you could do some kind of combination). Located almost two hours from the city of Chiang Mai, Samart will arrange for someone to pick you up from the airport (or your hotel) and drive you back to Spicy Villa (guest or volunteer). Once there, you can drop your belongings at your bungalow (or if volunteering, a comfy & huge tent with a mattress) and soak in the views. As a guest, you have access to biking, hiking, elephant tours, tubing (extreme tubing through rapids!), bamboo rafting, village visits, waterfalls, and/or exploring on your own - and all for a very reasonable price. Volunteers will also take your photo (if you so wish) with your cell phone and are generally there to help you out or answer any questions. Spicy Villa also gives guests the "up close and personal" opportunity to meet and spend time with a local Karen Tribe during meals and Samart employs locals (that are familiar with the terrain) as his guides. The money you spend at Spicy Villa will be funnelled towards supporting the local villages as well as providing a school for the local children (which you can also meet during your stay - one family even taught an English class one day). It is also possible to help out on various projects (if you wish) as a guest.

You will experience the most fragrant smells you have ever smelled and in my opinion, you will eat the most delicious food you have ever tasted. IN YOUR ENTIRE LIFE. You will also have many opportunities to cook above mentioned food and ask Samart any questions you may have. Smiles are free and you will never see as many as you will here; I find it hard to believe that you will ever meet people that warm your heart or make you laugh as much as the locals do.

As a volunteer, Samart has high expectations of you, as he should. Afterall, you are receiving a free place to stay and as I mentioned, the best food you will ever gobble up! We typically woke up around 6:45 AM and met around 7 AM. There are lots of tasks to do in the morning! Drying or cleaning dishes, preparing veggies, setting out the guest's cushions, sweeping, and of course, having a cup of tea or coffee! After breakfast with the locals (we eat up on the higher wooden floor and the guests eat on the lower), we clear the dishes and you will either be given the task of cleaning the dishes or making up a bungalow.

Back to breakfast with the locals - wow! At the time, there were three or four volunteers and we sat around in a circle, munching on sticky rice, dipping it in the various curries, and eating steamed rice with the actual veggies (or for others, meats). Occasionally, we would munch on a piece of toast or a pancake, as a Western "treat". We would listen to the locals speak (in Thai or Karen - two completely different languages), often understanding a word, but usually having no idea what was being said. This became an excellent opportunity to joke around, ask questions, or to improve our "Thai" speaking skills (and even more limited "Karen") and ask how to say banana, pineapple, or my favorite, dessert.

Depending on the person, English can be limited and when working together and it was quite the experience learning to communicate without words. When hoeing in the garden or chopping wood, or working towards completing a daily task, you would often watch the local and then do as they were doing. If you happened to be doing something wrong, they would grunt, point, shake their head no, laugh, or find a way to let you know that something needed to change. Women typically worked with women and men typically worked with men, though we sometimes all came together to complete a big project. The locals worked hard; no matter how hard we thought we were working, it was not nearly as hard as a local. Though the climate was considerably cooler (cold at night and in the mornings!), we still worked up a dripping sweat and guzzled lots of water throughout the day. The shade became one of our best friends and we soaked in the coolness whenever we could.

After occasional breaks and a shower, dinner time would find its way back to us. Tired, but still smiling and now feeling squeaky clean, we would meet again and begin preparing ingredients. As long as you are staying at Spicy Villa, you will be eating these ridiculously amazing curries. That means three times a day, for a total of 21 meals, should you stay for one week. I must admit that it was a little odd eating leftover curry for breakfast, but toast and cereal soon became nothing but a distant memory with each day that passed and fragrant curries, as well as the smell of noodle dishes, papaya salad, and raw meat, soon filled the air.

In addition to the many smiles, and opportunities to learn here at Spicy Villa, Samart will also let you be the chef (whether you are a guest or volunteer). You cant miss using the mortal and pestle to crush up chiles, turmeric, cilantro, tomatoes, and other special ingredients to make curry paste or to mash up the awesomeness that is papaya salad. Six or seven dishes later, and we sit down to admire (and devour) our hard work.

Though being a volunteer at Spicy Villa involves hard work, the cultural experience, laughs, and people you will meet are truly priceless. I went tubing and bamboo rafting one day and had a real dang good time. As a volunteer, I was Samart's example on safely tubing. I sat in my tube and was tipped out, splashed, and spun around. The bamboo rafting was mellow, but tubing through the rapids was intense! People were flipping out of their tube and there was a time or two when I hit my bum (and head!) on a rock, while turned around, flying through the rapids. After these fun water activities, we ate a delicious lunch and then made our way to see some adorable elephants. Volunteers are able to take part in the activities, but you better make sure you're working hard and doing the best you can. If you see something youre interested in, just let Samart know!l

Dont just take my word - check out Spicy Villas. Samart is a very amazing guy and in addition to providing a belly full of laughs, he will make sure you leave with the experience that you came searching for. If you're in Chiang Mai and have a few extra days, I absolutely recommend it. As a guest, you would be able to relax a bit more and still be able to get to know the culture and people, but as a a volunteer, you are able to really see how this village functions. I felt like I was leaving family when the time came to (sadly) leave and I think about Spicy Villa on a weekly basis. If you would like more information, check this out! http://www.chiangmaiecolodges.com/spicy-villa-bungalows-2/

Below are some photos of Spicy Villa; most were taken by Samart or Cheyne.

This is Samart :)

After leaving Spicy Villa, we headed back to Chiang Mai, as we were really itching for some rock climbing! We figured out the beta for getting to the crag and settled on some amazing food that evening (though not comparable to Spicy Villa, in no way, shape, or form). We met at the climbing shop at 8 AM the next morning and for 250 baht (less than $10), we were transported almost an hour away to the crag and we were provided lunch and drinking water. Crazy Horse Buttress turned out to be pretty exciting to two climbers who hadnt climbed in almost two weeks! We cancelled our plans to Pai and stayed for two more days in Chiang Mai, heading to the crag a few more times. After a few days, we decided it was time and purchased an overnight bus ticket to Krabi. Next destination: Koh Yao Noi.